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Parents Warning Other Families After Teen Son Died From Fentanyl Poisoning; House GOP Silent As George Santos Faces Growing Condemnation; New Film Turns Lens To Survivors, Heroes, First Responders. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired December 28, 2022 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:30:00]
TIM MAHER, FAMILY DRIVING RENTAL FROM PHOENIX TO BOSTON AFTER FLIGHT CANCELED: -- rely on them at this time.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: We are rooting for you guys. Kids, do not ask your parents are we there yet. Do not say that, OK? And you guys send us -- send us some pictures.
T. MAHER: I've got to go to the bathroom
HARLOW: Send us a picture from the Winter Classic. Thank you and good luck.
T. MAHER: We will.
HARLOW: Good luck.
T. MAHER: Thanks so much.
KELLY MAHER, FAMILY DRIVING RENTAL FROM PHOENIX TO BOSTON AFTER FLIGHT CANCELED: Thank you.
T. MAHER: Thank you.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, guys.
HARLOW: My kids would not be that patient.
COLLINS: I know. I mean, what a -- like, they have an amazing attitude about all of this.
HARLOW: Great attitude.
COLLINS: It's kind of remarkable to see it. And they were saying they didn't even get an offer for a voucher from Southwest.
HARLOW: It's crazy.
COLLINS: They were very loyal to Southwest. And now, here they are. It's incredibly expensive to drive across the country.
HARLOW: And the hotels. I hope they get totally reimbursed. OK, ahead, just terrifying -- the fentanyl epidemic in this country. And fentanyl overdoses in Los Angeles County have increased more than 1,200 percent over the last six years.
Coming up, we have really unique reporting on this. We will show you two parents turning their pain of their son's death into action to help prevent more deaths from happening.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA DIDIER, SON DIED FROM FENTANYL POISONING: As hard as it is to talk about it and as hard as it is to share this story, I feel him with me when I do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL)
[07:35:11]
HARLOW: Welcome back to CNN THIS MORNING.
The fentanyl crisis in this country is gripping so many families. A California family says their son accidentally took what he thought was a pain pill that he bought from someone on Snapchat. The teenager later died from fentanyl poisoning. And now, this family is urging other parents to pay attention to the dangers of this powerful synthetic opioid.
Our Josh Campbell reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS DIDIER, SON DIED FROM FENTANYL POISONING: I found Zach asleep at his desk. His head was laying down on his arm. I could feel before I even touched him that something was horribly wrong.
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every parent's worst nightmare. Seventeen-year-old Zach Didier found unresponsive in his room two days after Christmas of 2020. Medics arrived and began resuscitation efforts but it was too late.
C. DIDIER: And is started resuming CPR and they just stood there. And I got mad at them and said guys, help me save my boy. When they didn't, I started trying to talk to Zach and begged him, don't go, come back. Please come back. Do not go.
L. DIDIER: I walked up and Chris just said our baby is gone.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): We sat down with Chris and Laura Didier inside Zach's old high school theater classroom, surrounded by memories of their son.
L. DIDIER: He loved school. He loved sports. He starred in the musical. Zach was such a stellar young man. He always wanted to help other people. CAMPBELL (voice-over): Zach's sudden death initially a mystery to investigators. But the Placer County coroner, near Sacramento, had two theories on the day of his death -- either an undetected medical issue or fentanyl.
C. DIDIER: And that further spiraled us into --
L. DIDIER: Into confusion.
C. DIDIER: Yes, debilitating confusion. It's like why would you say that word? We had no red flags of Zach having struggles with any kind of drug use, or addiction, or depression.
DR. SCOTT HADLAND, MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL: Nine out of every 10 overdose deaths in teenagers involves opioids -- and most commonly, involves fentanyl.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): Dr. Scott Hadland is head of adolescent and young adult medicine at Boston's Mass General for Children Hospital.
HADLAND: Fentanyl is so potent that teens, particularly teens who have never used an opioid before and have no tolerance to them, can die really quickly. We're talking within seconds to minutes.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): New CDC data indicate the most common place for teens to overdose is at home. And experts say there are various reasons they turn to pills.
HADLAND: About two out of every five teens who overdose has a history of struggling with depression, anxiety, or other mental health problems. And in many cases, these problems have gone unaddressed.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): In Los Angeles County alone, health officials recently announced accidental fentanyl overdoses skyrocketed over 1,200 percent from 2016 through 2021.
LAPD NARCOTICS DETECTIVE: The problem is very serious not just in the city of L.A. but nationwide.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): To understand where many teens are obtaining fentanyl, we spoke with an LAPD narcotics detective. We agreed not to name him as his work involves undercover operations.
LAPD NARCOTICS DETECTIVE: The more personal sites would be Facebook, Marketplace, Instagram, and Snapchat. If you're buying it on a social media account or you're buying it from somebody on the street, or a friend, then most likely it's going to be counterfeit.
CAMPBELL (on camera): When you look at these photos, the fake pill looks just like the real pill.
LAPD NARCOTICS DETECTIVE: They sure do. The dealers' main objective is to get you hooked. And if you don't die from it, then you're a customer for as long as you live.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): In Zach Didier's case, his parents said he met a drug dealer on Snapchat who sold him a deadly fentanyl pill that Zach thought was the pain reliever Percocet.
MORGAN GIRE, PLACER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Zach's case was really the first for our county dealing with whether or not to hold someone who provides drugs to someone else who ultimately dies -- whether or not to hold them responsible for their death. And if so, how much?
The message to dealers is we are fed up. We are tired of seeing young people dying in our communities.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): Zach's dealer was sentenced to 17 years in prison. But, Placer County's district attorney, who has advocated for aggressive charges against dealers, says prosecution alone won't solve the fentanyl crisis.
GIRE: The solution will be education and awareness, and talking to parents, talking to teachers.
C. DIDIER: I've had a lot of struggle --
CAMPBELL (voice-over): Warning families about the dangers of fentanyl has become a life mission for Zach's parents who now spend countless hours going into schools and telling their shattering story.
L. DIDIER: As hard as it is to talk about it and as hard as it is to share the story, I feel him with me when I do it. I feel him helping me find the words, even.
CAMPBELL (on camera): What is it that goes through your mind before you step out onto the stage?
[07:40:02]
L. DIDIER: I hope we reach them. I see their faces. I just scan the room and they're listening and absorbing it. And I just think God, please let us reach them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CAMPBELL: Such a truly, truly remarkable family.
And for parents out there who might be wondering how do I talk to my kid about fentanyl, teen health professionals say that you want to approach the conversation in the spirit of curiosity, asking open- ended questions like what do you know about fentanyl? What do you know about its deadly side effects? That will help create a dialogue.
And just as important, officials and experts say that parents, as they are having these critical conversations, you want to do more listening than lecturing, guys.
HARLOW: Really good advice. I'm so glad that you spent time with them and did that reporting. And obviously, our hearts are broken for them but grateful for what they're doing for other families -- trying to save other kids.
CAMPBELL: Absolutely. HARLOW: Josh, before you go, can you help us understand -- because so much of the focus in the past few years has been on fentanyl and China. But where is it coming from now, mostly, and how is it getting into this country?
CAMPBELL: Yes. It's so important, especially in this era where we talk about immigration and building walls to keep out drugs and drug traffickers.
What we're finding -- particularly, our colleagues at The Washington Post who did a really remarkable profile on how these drugs are getting into the U.S. -- they found that there -- most of them are rolling across the U.S. border at legal points of entry.
Where I am here in Southern California -- specifically, down near San Diego -- is ground zero. And most of the actual seized fentanyl in the United States is from that port of entry.
And just to give you a staggering figure, this analysis that the Post did found that only about five to 10 percent of fentanyl that is coming into the U.S. is actually being seized. And so, that shows you --
HARLOW: Wow.
CAMPBELL: -- how critical and serious this problem is.
And finally, it's worth pointing out that for these cartels, this is a billion-dollar industry. And with those low capture rates, they can take the gamble to send people over. If they get caught, that's fine. They're still -- they still stand to make a lot of money.
And, of course, the serious question that is raised by all of this is why isn't more being done to provide more resources there --
HARLOW: Yes.
CAMPBELL: -- at the border to try to detect some of this before it gets into the country.
HARLOW: And why is the DEA so understaffed right now to deal with it?
Josh, thank you for the fantastic reporting.
CAMPBELL: Thank you.
COLLINS: Republican leaders in the House are pretty quiet this morning over the series of lies from Congressman-elect George Santos that he told in the lead-up to his election. We'll talk about that with the Democratic who lost the race to Santos, next.
(COMMERCIAL)
[07:46:45] COLLINS: The reaction from Republican House leadership has been pretty muted as the incoming Congressman-elect George Santos is facing controversy for fabricating his resume -- something he now admits to.
He seemed to backtrack his apology, though, during an appearance on Fox News last night as he even defended his past claims about being Jew-ish.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE SANTOS, (R) NEW YORK CONGRESSMAN-ELECT: My heritage is Jewish. I've always identified as Jewish. I was raised a practicing Catholic. I think I've gone through this. Even not being raised a practicing Jew, I've always joked with friends in circles -- even with -- in the campaign I'd say guys, I'm Jew-ish. Remember, I was raised Catholic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Joining us now is Robert Zimmerman, who is the Democratic candidate who lost to Santos in that election.
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, (D) FORMER NEW YORK CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE, LOST RACE TO GEORGE SANTOS: Good to be with you both.
COLLINS: Thank you for joining us again on this.
ZIMMERMAN: Sure.
COLLINS: Do you think that he should resign?
ZIMMERMAN: Oh, absolutely. I've called for his resignation without question. In fact, I said -- I said publicly that he -- if he's so -- actually, if his name is George Santos -- let's get that straight. Assuming his name is George Santos, I think, in fact, he should resign his position based upon the lies he --
COLLINS: Do you think it's likely he would resign, though?
ZIMMERMAN: -- based on the lies he's told.
And I said if he's so confident that he's got the -- he's got the trust of the voter, I'd face him in a rematch.
But, in fact, do I think he'll resign? No, I don't think he'll resign. I think he's just a pathological liar. I think he's not capable of shame.
But I do think the investigation that the New York state attorney general has opened up, a House Ethics Committee investigation -- that more Republican -- a Republican member of Congress just called for recently -- Congressman Nick LaLota -- I think all that's leading to, hopefully, a Department of Justice probe. And I think those investigations could be real game changers over his personal money and how he used his money for his campaign.
HARLOW: We were looking at the spread in the election and it was -- he won by about 7.5 percent. That was about 20,000 votes.
I wonder a) what, if anything, you've heard from constituents that you ran to represent since this, and if you think you would have won had they known how many lies were involved in his resume and his campaign?
ZIMMERMAN: Well look, we had a Republican landslide in New York State --
HARLOW: Yes.
ZIMMERMAN: -- as was well documented. We had four congressional seats that --
HARLOW: Yes.
ZIMMERMAN: -- that we hoped to won. But, of course, it lost and we losted it. It was an election defined by the crime issue and that was very difficult. And that was really the dominant issue in the race.
I think had there been this kind of national focus on the lies he told about his education, about his job career, lying about his faith, using the tragic shooting at the Pulse nightclub and -- as a political stunt. Or for that matter, lying about his connection to the Holocaust. Using the Holocaust as a political prop. I think something as vile as that -- I think had all of that gotten this kind of national attention -- yes, it might have made a difference. I think it would have made a difference in the election.
But the reality is it's about going forward right now, and it's much bigger than me. It's about holding him accountable and restoring trust in public officials.
COLLINS: Well, I mean, it's -- to hear him talk there, as he did on Fox, about his claims about being Jew-ish because even Matt Brooks, who runs the Republican Jewish Coalition, said that he misrepresented his history and he deceived them. They banned him from going to their events.
ZIMMERMAN: Well, you know something? I think that's important to note. I think it's important to see Republicans now speaking up more and more and right-wing media now challenging him and deserting him. I think it's all important.
[07:50:00]
But I have to tell you -- as a former president of the American-Jewish Congress on Long Island and a former Great Neck B'nai B'rith president, the idea that he would actually use the Holocaust -- the atrocity -- the unspeakable tragedy of the Holocaust as a political stunt -- it is such a hateful, disrespectful act to take toward the Jewish community. It really is the ultimate act of antisemitism when you try to manipulate and exploit a tragedy like that for political gain.
HARLOW: We're out of time, but I'm sure you'll be back as we hear more. And we, every day, invite Congressman-elect Santos on the program
ZIMMERMAN: Well, thank you for keeping -- thank you for keeping a focus on this because the next big scandal is going to be about his personal money and where it came from to loan his campaign.
COLLINS: Well, I can guarantee you when he's on Capitol Hill next week, the reporters are everywhere there and they ask --
ZIMMERMAN: Oh, yes.
COLLINS: -- questions constantly. So, we'll see.
HARLOW: Kaitlan is going to be in D.C. so, you know --
ZIMMERMAN: I have no doubt --
COLLINS: Robert Zimmerman, thank you much for -- very much for joining us this morning.
HARLOW: Thank you.
ZIMMERMAN: Thank you so much.
COLLINS: Thanks.
HARLOW: A new documentary on the January 6 Capitol attack features more than 50 interviews with lawmakers and first responders. You'll hear from them directly. The director is with us, next.
(COMMERCIAL)
[07:55:41]
HARLOW: Welcome back.
The new documentary exploring the Capitol riots on January 6 will premiere next week on Discovery+, and this is a film that tells the story of that day from a unique perspective of those who witnessed it firsthand -- watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The plan in the very beginning was simple.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Capitol has been breached.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Capitol has been breached.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): We're in danger.
REP. STENY HOYER (D-MD): You have to leave the Chamber.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lock the doors.
REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): We need to move now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go! Go! Go!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A shot fired.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is going to be bad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want a fight, you've got one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people were banging on the door.
REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): Trying to barrel their way into the main door of the U.S. House of Representatives.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I cannot believe this is happening.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I called my wife -- you know, that phone call.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I texted my uncle and my will.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to be able to fight with something. We need to find weapons.
REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL): I have my gun out on my desk to defend myself.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We went from protecting the Capitol to surviving.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I see one of my officers dragged away from me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was an all-out battle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No matter how bad you were hurt, you had to get back in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will not die in this hallway.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Joining us is the director and executive producer of that film. It's called "JANUARY 6TH." It is Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Jules Naudet. Also with his brother Gideon, the two of them have made documentaries, including a fascinating one on 9/11. Thank you for being here.
JULES NAUDET, DIRECTOR AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "JANUARY 6TH": Thank you for having me.
HARLOW: It's unique because you are the first to get such full access to the Capitol and Metropolitan Police Department, and the people that saw it from that vantage point.
NAUDET: But it's -- you know, it always takes a lot of time. The work my brother and I do, going all the way back to 9/11, it's always a question of earning trust. Trust is earned; it's not given. So there's a lot of process of explaining where we come from and what we want to do. And to be able to get the leadership of the Capitol police and Metro police it took a lot of time to convince them of what we were trying to do -- do an apolitical documentary.
We're not journalists. We don't do investigations. We just wanted to show the people who were there, the minute-by-minute of that moment where life takes a turn that you don't know where it's going to go. And especially, to show the humanity in the people underneath. To remind people that underneath that uniform there's a father, there's a mother, there's a son, there's a daughter. And they went through some pretty horrific and traumatic -- traumatizing things that day.
HARLOW: Yes.
COLLINS: Yes, and I was there in D.C. I was covering the White House when this happened that day. And it was just this haunting day where I remember going home late at night after we had finished the coverage and there was a curfew in place. I couldn't get an Uber home because there was no one there to pick you up. And it was just this weird sense that had descended on the city where people felt unsafe in a place where typically, you feel pretty safe.
And I thought one thing you did here that was so interesting is talking about the human aspect of those people who went through that. And they all had loved ones who were at home who were watching this happen and were worried about them.
NAUDET: But that's -- you know, on September 11, I was in the lobby -- I ended up in the lobby of the World Trade Center and it's the same kind of things that I saw. These moments where you know you are OK. Your family is watching from five miles or 6,000 miles away and they don't know. And we wanted to highlight these moments where -- these moments of humanity.
And regardless, on September 11, just like on January 6, I think you've seen some of the worst of humanity. But what's important to remember is in parallel to this you always see the best in people rising up. And that's really what we wanted to show -- these moments. Of course, these overt ways of courage -- the first responders and putting their life on the line.
But also these little moments of humanity when we see how Rep. Susan Wild, who thinks she's going to have a heart attack because of the stress. They're locked in the balcony of the House chamber and certainly, she feels someone putting a hand on her -- on her shoulder saying we're going to be OK -- and it's Rep. Jason Crow. Just a little human moment like this can make the difference and these moments we wanted to show.
HARLOW: I can't wait to watch all of it. Thank you --
NAUDET: Thank you.
HARLOW: -- very much for this and for the way you're telling this story.
NAUDET: Thank you very much.
COLLINS: Thank you, Jules. NAUDET: Thank you.
HARLOW: The documentary is "JANUARY 6TH." It debuts next Thursday. You can stream it all on Discovery+.
[08:00:00]
